All That Matters
by TheStormyWeatherGirl
Summary: All of a sudden, before he could utter another word, Caroline burst into tears and was in his arms. It was funny how perfect she fit against his chest. Having her in his arms seemed to be the most natural feeling in the world.


The Mikaelson mansion was empty.

Finn's dead, Elijah's still someplace berating himself for his immoralities, Rebekah's playing student, and Kol's hanging out with the younger Gilbert. _Oh, and your mother is God-knows-where trying to find a way to kill you_, the mansion's owner thought. Klaus was up all night, struggling to quash down what little grief he was feeling for his brother's death. Of course he would much rather have Finn dead than himself, but with everyone gone, it felt like the marble walls of the grand house were expanding its size. The house was empty and dead. Was it only a few weeks ago that there was actually a family living here?

By the early morning he found himself in his studio, trying to subdue his inner turmoil through pencil and paper.

No luck.

And it wasn't that he couldn't draw.

It was that he couldn't draw anything but _her._

Every point becomes a speck in her blue eyes. Every line, no matter where he drew it, turns into a curl of her hair. Somehow, his mind has permanently attached the idea of beauty to the blonde vampire. _Fantastic. Just fantastic. A moment ago you were mourning for your suicidal brother, and now you're fantasizing about a girl's hair. Pathetic._

Frustrated, Klaus threw the pencil on top of the rest of drawings he couldn't bear to burn. He took his coat and dashed out of the house before it could swallow him whole. He was wandering aimlessly around town when he realized that his feet had led him to everyone's favorite hangout.

The Mystic Grill was also empty. Not unusual on a Thursday morning, when half of the town is in school and the other half at work. He was just about to head for the bar when he noticed a certain blonde arguing with the bartender. Caroline looked… different.

"Uhh. No." the bartender said, perturbed by the change in the regular's personality. "I'm not going to give you one. You're mom would kill me, come back in a year then I will gladly serve you one. And aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"No. Never mind. Just shut up. And don't call my mom." he heard her say.

_Are you going to come up to her? Better decide now, before she sees you. Wait. You are supposed to be furious at her. NO. You are furious. _

It was no use talking himself out of approaching her because before he knew it he was already by her back, compelling the bartender to giver her shots.

He sat on the stool beside her and took a closer look at the girl. No wonder she seemed odd. She was already intoxicated. Clearly she had had a few drinks before coming here. She looked at him as he edged the shot glass closer to her with his finger. He was taken aback when he saw that she wasn't glaring or scowling, she was just simply… looking.

"Come on, love. We both know you could've gotten these drinks if you really wanted to. Were you just waiting for me to come and notice you?"

"I guess I wasn't in the mood to be a mind-controlling vampire today." Caroline said as she tilted her head back to do the shot. "Aren't you supposed to be mad at me?"

_That was the plan. But I'm not. _"Aren't _you_ supposed to be mad at _me_? Your gang's magnificent plan of killing me and my siblings didn't really go as well as you wished, did it?"

"Well, I'm also not really in the mood to be mad at you right now. Don't worry, it'll be by back tomorrow." she said, almost whispering the last words and staring at nothing.

He gazed at her as she gulped shot after shot, and even though her beauty was captivating him, he felt as though she was fighting to keep her composure. There was something different in her eyes. They were… blank. Her shoulders caved in, and the slight smiles she allows herself were forced.

"I'm surprised. I was expecting you to shove me away about 30 minutes ago."

"You bought me drinks, I let you stay. We're even."

"Not entirely, I did save your life once you know." he said, trying to make her smile, even if the smile was tinted with irritation.

Her body became completely still. For a second she looked as though she was going to cry but she cleared her throat and looked the hybrid in the eye.

"You shouldn't have, Klaus."

With that, Caroline stood up and walked out. Klaus was left perplexed. That wasn't the bubbly girl he admired from afar. That wasn't the girl he convinced to stay alive to see the world for what it really is. That wasn't the girl who'd give everything and fight anyone for the people she cared about. That wasn't Caroline.

He stayed in the bar, driving himself crazy trying to figure out what it was that caused Caroline's disposition. It was as if the answer was right in front of him, and he just couldn't see it. All he could think of was Tyler, but Klaus refused to acknowledge the possibility that Caroline loved the boy so much that his absence caused her to regret life. Plus, Klaus had this pestering notion to beat the boy to death with the thought of him hurting Caroline. He couldn't allow himself to think that way; because he also couldn't acknowledge the possibility that Caroline meant that greatly to him.

His mind was off reliving their dance at the ball, when he finally got it.

_How could you be so naïve? It's her father._

On this day the previous month, Bill Forbes decided to choose death over being a vampire. Klaus was absolutely sure that that was it. Caroline is a strong girl. But today she's allowed to feel alone. She's allowed to mourn a loss, to not think about her friends for once, who by now have already forgotten the tragedy that struck the Forbes family.

Klaus dropped bills on the counter and sprinted out of the Grill to Caroline's house. He didn't know what he was going to do, or what he was going to say, but he knew that he had to apologize. For what though, he also had no idea. He just needs to be there for her, seeing as nobody is.

He grabbed the door knob but stopped himself. Breaking in to her house, even if he was already invited in, was probably not the best way to comfort Caroline. He knocked and knocked again, fighting the urge to break the door. After what seemed like forever, the door finally opened to show Caroline, dressed down to a robe and hair up in a bun. She looked tired.

Klaus was relieved when she didn't slam the door in his face. That was a good sign. But she was also waiting for him to talk, which would have been great if he actually knew what to say.

_Just say something. You can't just stare at her. You've talked to a million women before, Caroline is no different. _

"I'm sorry. I completely forgot about your father."

She just stared.

"I can't believe I was that insensitive."

Still nothing.

"Okay. You probably would just like to be left alone right now, and I have no idea why I even came here. I don't think I'm making sense but I just wanted to make sure you were alright. What am I talking about, of course you're not alright. Now you're just staring at me. I should've thought of what I was going to say before I bothered you, I'm terribly sorry, and now I'm rambling. It's pathetic really if you consider the fact that I've talked to a million women before, and I'm the big bad hybrid. Honestly, I still don't know how you do this to me, but that's beside the point and I should probably go now–"

All of a sudden, before he could utter another word, Caroline burst into tears and was in his arms. It was funny how perfect she fit against his chest. Having her in his arms seemed to be the most natural feeling in the world.

"I miss him so much. I miss him everyday."

"I know." he said, running his hand through her hair and her back.

"I can't. I can't breathe."

Caroline's knees were starting to give way to her shaking, and with one swift move, Klaus had them on one of his arms with the other supporting her back. Caroline locked her arms around his neck and her head settled beneath the crook of his chin.

"Shh. It's going to okay. You are going to be just fine, love."

He laid her on her bed, and set himself beside her when he realized that she was still holding onto him. She didn't need to ask, he knew she didn't want to be alone. They spent the day just as like that, and Caroline's cries turned into sobs, which turned into calm. They spoke of nothing because they both knew that no words were needed.

They were together, and for the two of them, that's all that mattered.

"Thank you, Klaus."

"Anything for you, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>AN: Just needed to vent my Klaroline feelings. :) Tell me what you think on tumblr? wadewithme :)<p> 


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